Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Home Rule Dual Office topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Home rule petition could force local officials to choose between posts, Plainville participants say
Summary
At a Plainville meeting participants warned that a pending home rule petition could require local officials who hold more than one elected post to resign one if the petition passes; speakers cited a planning-board member running for select board as an immediate example.
A Select board member warned that a pending home rule petition at the state level could force local officeholders to choose a single elected position if it is enacted. "They've gotta pick 1," the Select board member said, arguing the rule would limit someone serving as town manager who also holds an elected post.
The concern was raised using a local example: a current planning-board member is running for the select board, and the speaker said that if a home rule petition passes, that person would face a requirement to hold only one elected office. The speaker said the restriction stems from how the proposed change would interact with the town's governance structure while the legislature considers the home rule position.
No formal motion or vote followed the remarks. The Select board member described the issue as procedural and contingent on state action: until the legislature acts, the potential conflict remains a local management question rather than a decision the town can resolve unilaterally.
If the petition is enacted, affected individuals and town officials would need to determine which office to retain and how to fill any resulting vacancies. The meeting did not record a timetable for that decision; the outcome depends on the legislature's action on the home rule petition.
